Real Toons WITCH
by donki-shouben
Summary: To save everyone they love, Will & Cornelia must leave everything behind! Then, on a last visit to Meridian, Cornelia pulls a real shocker! Guest stars Batman, GI Joe, Winx Club, Power Rangers, Danny Phantom & Joker! Rated T for violence and theme.
1. Chapter 1 Will's Story

In _Real Toons_, we take the cartoon characters you see on your TV screen and imagine…

What if they learned they weren't real? How would they act on this knowledge? What would it do to them?

That is...What if Toons got real? Rated T for violence.

_Real Toons_ is a mega-cartoon crossover, and as such each chapter will appear in the cartoon area of whichever character is narrating.

(This really ought to be a comic book. Artists, contact me!)

A guide to W.I.T.C.H. is in the Notes at the end of the story.

Real Toons

Chapter 1 - Will's Story

by Shawn Q. Evans

Starring Will & Cornelia of W.I.T.C.H.

Guest Starring Irma, Taranee & Hay Lin of W.I.T.C.H.,

Duke and Snake Eyes from G.I.Joe,

Dustin the Ninja Storm Yellow Power Ranger,

Stella from Winx Club and Danny Phantom

W.I.T.C.H. and related characters copyright Disney Enterprises

Duke and Snake Eyes copyright Hasbro

Dustin the Ninja Storm Yellow Ranger copyright BVS Entertainment

Stella from Winx Club copyright Rainbow Srl

Danny Phantom copyright Nickelodeon

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Hi, I'm Will, the Guardian of the Heart of Candracar. Me and my friends are the Guardians of the Veil. Kind of like superheroes, but more specialized, I guess.

Even though things can get a bit freaky at times, we really do love being Guardians, although we haven't had an adventure in a while. Which is why we get to do fun things like walk to school together.

"Guys! Guys! I had the weirdest dream! I was standing there in my Guardian of the Veil outfit, then everything went red! Dreams are strange, huh?"

That's Hay Lin. She's always so bubbly and energetic. Definitely fun to be around.

"I don't know, Hay Lin. Red isn't the friendliest color, you know."

That's Taranee. She's smart, but I think her smartness makes her a bit too cautious. I really think she could be the most powerful of us all if she put her mind to it.

"It's certainly not a fashion color! Red is _so_ out, it's not even retro!"

That's Cornelia. She likes to talk about silly things like fashion or boys, but I think that's a cover, to hide how much she really cares. We went through a bad time when we disagreed about her friend, Elyon, but I'm so glad we got past that.

"Maybe my subconscious is telling me I don't use enough red in my art, or my costume! What do you think, Will?"

"Oh, uh, red's fine with me! Sunsets are red, right! They look good!"

"Yeah, and Japan is the land of the Rising Sun! I get it!"

"Except Hay Lin's folks are from China, not Japan, Cornelia."

"Chinese. Japanese. Whatever!"

"Can't wait to fill in Irma on this fascinating discussion! Where is Irma, anyway? There's her house, but she's not waiting for us?"

Irma could be impulsive, and she was the jokester of the group, but it's not like her to run off.

"What's got into you? Get off, Martin!"

"No! You tell me - am I just a joke to you? Is that all I am?"

Omigosh! Martin was going all stalkerboy and grabbing Irma! We better…

"I said…get off!"

"Ow!"

Or Irma will take care of it. She just up and punched him! Yay, Irma!

"Hey! That..that hurt."

"Yeah, you better run!"

"You okay, Irma?"

"I'm fine. But that was weird."

"Martin freaking out? Yeah, he never seemed the type."

"No, not that. Well, yes, that. But I'm talking about the pain. I never felt anything like that before."

"Okay, now you're freaking ME out!"

"For a second there I thought my dream might come true. Of me in my guardian outfit, fleeing."

"You mean running away?"

"No. Flying away. But that's crazy! Why would I need to fly away from Martin?"

"Wait. YOU had a strange Guardian dream, too?"

"So? We're Guardians! It's only natural we'd dream about it!"

"Except I had a Guardian dream, also! I was surrounded by fire, and burning up."

"Well, you are the Guardian of Fire!"

"That doesn't explain the burning up part! Hay Lin already told us she dreamed of everything going red. Red's the color of blood. You dreamed of flying away, and I dreamed of burning up! That's more than coincidence!"

"I, I had a Guardian dream, too. But all I dreamed of was a bright, white light."

"Portals are bright, white lights!"

"And Will is the guardian of the heart of Candracar, which makes her the guardian of portals."

"Why are you all looking at me?"

"Cornelia, did you have a Guardian dream?"

"Maybe. But it's stupid!"

"Corny…"

"Okay, okay! I dreamed I had a big fat zit, alright?"

"Ha! Leave it to Cornelia to dream about the important things in life!"

"That does seem to wreck your impending doom theory, Taranee!"

"I'm not so sure."

"Can we please talk about something else? How about this necklace I got from a _secret admirer_!"

"Ha! Your grandma probably sent it to you!"

"Ha Ha Ha"

"Hmphh! You're just jealous!"

The rest of the walk to school was uneventful. But things got strange very quickly as soon as we arrived.

"Uh, guys? Does it seem like people are staring at us?"

"Nothing seeming about it! They are! Hey, like the show?"

"That's not the strangest thing. Did you notice that the ones staring were all from the east side of town? Same as Martin?"

"Oh please! Bad manners are not a conspiracy, Taranee!"

"I'm not saying it's a conspiracy! But there's something odd going on!"

"Do you think it's aliens? Pod people taking over the school? That would be so cool!"

"I don't know, Hay Lin. But we should all be careful."

Just then there was a huge commotion.

"What the heck is that?"

People were screaming. And there were loud noises, like a freight train.

"Let's check it out!"

We ran to a secluded third floor window to see what was going on. It's a good vantage point. You can see the whole neighborhood from there. When I finally saw it, I couldn't, it was so...

It was Lurdens! A whole army of the monstrous, vicious creatures! (Was Prince Phobos back?) Attacking people! No, not just attacking - slaughtering! Killing! Smashing the city apart! I just, we just, stood there. This couldn't be happening!

"Guardians, unite!"

I took out the Heart and mouthed the words by reflex. I didn't understand what was happening, but we had to do something!

We flew down into the fight. The, the Lurdens were chopping people into bits with their axes! There were body parts and blood everywhere! We all saw it, but we had to focus on stopping the attack.

Hay Lin blew a bunch away with her wind. Then I swooped in to rescue a couple of people, thinking I could take them somewhere safe. I wasn't sure where that was, though.

Cornelia put her hand on the ground and it rose up, knocking the Lurdens down. Then Irma created a wall of water and washed away the Lurden army. Okay, I thought, we may have a chance.

Then Taranee used her power.

"Ahhh! It's burning! Help!"

"Taranee? What?"

"OhmyGod! It hurts!"

"She, she has burns on her hands! How can this be happening?"

I barked orders like a good little leader. But inside, I was just as freaked as Cornelia.

"Hay Lin! Irma! Combine your powers to cool her hands off! Then we'll take her to the hospital!"

They did, and created an icy coating on Taranee's hands. I thought we might yet be okay.

But there was still one Lurden left. And we were distracted by our personal drama.

He (it?) lunged at us. Jumped, actually. Man, could it jump. We dodged, but, well, most of us dodged.

Hay Lin, though, was trying to help Taranee get away. And she succeeded in that. But...

It grabbed Hay Lin by her leg and smashed her into the ground.

"Ahhh No!"

It raised its axe, preparing the killing blow, but we reacted instantly.

Irma sent a column of water into it, hitting it away from Hay Lin. Then Cornelia's vines entangled it, so it couldn't attack us again. So he was taken care of. I tended to Hay Lin, but...Dear, sweet Hay Lin. Her face was all cut up, and...

"I, I think it's broke! My leg's broken!"

"Let's see. Maybe it's just a sprain..."

But what we saw on the underside of her leg. There, there was her bone, sticking out! And the blood!

"Gasp!"

And it wasn't over yet.

The Lurdens had regrouped. And they were all converging on us.

This time it was Cornelia's turn to bark out orders.

"Irma, get Hay Lin and Taranee to the hospital! Now! I'll hold them off!"

"Me? But..."

"Unless you're prepared to drown them, go now! Get out of here! Please!"

'Drown them'? It was an odd thing for even Cornelia to say, and ordinarily I would have been concerned, but things were just too wild to worry about something like that. The desperation in Cornelia's voice even convinced the usually skeptical Taranee. So Irma took off with Hay Lin and Taranee in tow, while Cornelia concentrated really hard and the ground erupted with vines that snaked over to the Lurdens and stopped them in their tracks.

And in the distance, there was Irma, flying through the air with her two patients, our friends.

Wait. Flying? Fleeing? Oh no.

More Lurdens showed up. They were trying to surround us, and cut off our escape route. Even Cornelia might not be able to stop so many.

"Corny, we've got to go! There's too many!"

"But I've got to stop them, Will!"

"I know, but..."

"I have to! Arghhhh!"

She was sending her power through the earth. I could see it. It was...incredible. Vines snaked up building after building, grabbing every Lurden around. Heatherfield didn't look like a city anymore, but a garden of the Gods. It would have been beautiful, if the circumstances weren't so horrible. Finally, though, Cornelia stopped. I helped the weary Earth Guardian to her feet and we were off.

I looked back, and for a second it seemed as if the vines, rather than just holding the Lurdens, were instead choking them to death. But that couldn't be. Cornelia would never do that.

We continued flying. The scene below was utter devastation. The area to the east, where the Lurdens had come from, was even worse. There must have been a portal there. I was going to tell Cornelia, when...

"Grahh!"

A Lurden jumped at us from the top of a building. We weaved out of the way, but as it fell it reached out and grabbed Cornelia's wings. She tumbled from the sky.

She wasn't hurt, though. Thank God. She wrapped the Lurden up in a concrete straitjacket. But she did have one problem.

"Will! I can't fly! My wings must be broken! Give me a hand?"

"Sure, Cornelia!"

But when I pulled her into the air with me, another Lurden lunged out of the shadows and managed to grab hold of Cornelia's long hair. And he wouldn't let go.

"Not. The. Hair."

Cornelia just, she just reacted. Instantly, pieces of wood launched themselves out of a nearby frame home and shot like a bullet into the creature's back. Then he stopped struggling, and fell.

We looked at the Lurden's lifeless body. Then each other.

"Will, I, I didn't mean for that to happen. You have to believe me!"

"S-sure, Cornelia! Accidents happen, right?"

"Now come on! We have to get out of here!"

I said bravely, as I took her hand. But this time the Lurdens had managed to encircle us. In a city canyon. They were all around AND above us. Scores of them. It was a deathtrap. But at least Irma, Taranee and Hay Lin had gotten away to safety.

I really thought this was it. And I didn't even know what to say. You always hear about 'last words' and whatever. But I had nothing. I just hovered there in the air, holding Cornelia's hand.

"Cornelia, I..."

"I know, Will. Me too."

I was about to make a break for it. And then THEY appeared.

_Pokkitapokkitapokkitapokkita_

"Hit 'em hard! Hit 'em fast! Sanitize the area! Go go go!"

It was a military man, crewcut and combat clothes included. His gun took out the Lurdens closest to us. Then his masked friend dressed in black hit the Lurdens just beyond them. It was amazing. The gunman mowed down a line of Lurdens, then his friend would knock down one Lurden, then jump to the next. He was good. _Real_ good. The masked man was followed by a rather strange-looking boy who tried to do what the man in black did, but the Lurdens he fought didn't stay down. It almost looked like he was _playing_ with them.

"What the hell are you doing, Dustin?"

"What? I'm fighting them! What does it look like?"

Even with that one snag, the dozens of Lurdens were soon all down. Except for the ones above us, that is.

"B Squad! You're up! Stellar! Danny! Take out those creeps on the rooftops!"

As soon as he said that, a girl dressed in black with long, shiny blonde hair (honestly, it seemed to glow) sped through the sky, aimed her hands at the Lurdens on the roof, and then shot a bright yellow beam out of her hands, blasting the Lurdens.

She was followed by a dark mist, or something. It didn't seem like it was quite there. What's that word from vocab? Insubstance something. Oh, I know. He was like a ghost or a spirit or something like that. There'd be a dark flash next to the Lurden, then the Lurden would go all spastic and start hitting himself and other Lurdens, then he'd fall and there'd be another dark flash, another Lurden would go nuts, and so on. It was incredible.

Not that they didn't have problems. The blonde zappy girl was hitting the Lurdens so fast I think she zapped her spirit friend, too.

"Hey! I was taking care of that guy!"

"Too slow. Move faster."

Even quicker than the men on the ground, they eliminated all of the Lurdens that had surrounded us. There wasn't much to say, then, except...

"Thank you. Thank you very much! But who are you guys?"

"I'm Duke. That's Snake Eyes, Dustin, Stellar and Danny. We've been tracking reality breaches and noticed one opened up here. So we thought you could use a hand."

"Excuse me, what?"

"Reality breach. Notice any strange things happening here today? People acting funny? Experiencing..pain?"

"Y-es. But what's going on?"

"Instead of telling you, we'll show you. Come on, people, move out!"

So we fell in behind these strange men (and one woman) and set off for this 'reality breach'. It all seemed so wrong. Something was very, very wrong. But these people didn't seem to be the cause. And if they could help, why not let them?

"Love the hair! It's so shiny! What do you use?"

Said Cornelia to Stellar. The world could be ending, and she'll talk about haircare.

"It's not hair. It's my excess light escaping through my hair follicles. I cut off all my hair because it was getting in the way."

As Stellar said that, Cornelia 'ran' her hands through Stellar's insubstantial (that's the word) lightshow in place of hair.

"They're what? Hey, uh, I just noticed. Those black things on your back. Are those wings? I've got wings too! Well, sort of. They're a little broke now."

"Used to be wings. Now they're solar collectors."

"Uh huh. I see."

(whispering)"Will? These guys are definitely freak city."

"I know, Cornelia. Shhh."

I said, as the ghost boy darted to and fro through the air.

"But we have to see what's going on. Then we can get the others to handle it."

Hmm. I thought Stellar's outfit was all black. Up close, though, I can see white dots, so she looks kind of like the star field at the planetarium. Wait, are those...tiny points of light?

Our route took us to the eastern part of town. No surprise there. I knew the badness came from that direction. But I didn't expect what we found.

It looked like a portal, but was so much...more. And instead of the bright light of the portal illuminating the area, it seemed to make it look darker. If that makes any sense. I know it doesn't sound like it, but that's what it was doing.

"So that's it?"

"Yep. That's your problem right there. Reality breach."

"It looks like a portal."

"I know. It sort of does. So maybe I can..."

I approached it with the Heart of Candracar, intending to close it. But as I got closer, I heard things. It was whispering things to me. About other worlds. Many, many other worlds. And...oh no.

Then I was blown back by a soundless explosion. Somehow the Heart had reacted, very badly, to the breach. Very, very badly. As I lay on the ground, trying to regain my bearings, Corny ran to me.

"No, Cornelia. Stay back! It's..."

"What? Will, are you OK? What happened? I..."

"I'm okay. But the portal. It's bad. Don't go near it."

"It's, it's talking to me. It's..."

"Don't listen, Cornelia!"

I was too weak to stop her.

"Oh no. It's true, isn't it Will? It's all true!"

"Corny, no. Stop."

"What it's saying is all true! And this is all a lie!"

"Cornelia..."

"We're not real! We're, we're here for someone's amusement! A kids show!"

"Cornelia, it says there are a lot of worlds. We're just one of them. The universe is a big place."

"But you know what it's saying is true! Don't you?"

"Yes. But that doesn't mean we can't have our own life."

"Our lives are a big fat lie, Will! Worse, we're put through this to amuse little kids! Oh no. Caleb. Our love's a lie. It's not real. None of it. Sniff"

I tried to comfort her. But faced with something like this, what can you say?

"Corny, I..."

"All that fighting Phobos and Cedric, and now this! We could have been hurt, or worse! Hay Lin was! All because someone somewhere thought it'd be 'dramatic'! If it hadn't been for these gentlemen. And lady."

"Real sorry, ma'am. It's not easy learning this stuff. It was hard for all of us. That's why we're trying to stop it, by going to the source."

"Take me with you, then!"

"Cornelia!"

"There's nothing here for me anymore, Will! It's all gone! But at least I can make those responsible for it pay!"

"Cornelia, you don't know what you're saying!"

"For the first time in my life...Sorry, existence...I do."

"Welcome aboard, miss!"

"What do you do?"

"Oh, power over the earth. That's all."

"Sounds good!"

As they stood there congratulating her, I didn't think I could convince Cornelia to stay. I didn't know if it was the right thing to do anymore. Heck, I didn't even know what was right or wrong or if it was placed in my mind like that. But there was one thing I did know. To stand by my friends.

"Then let me go with you!"

The words surprised even me, and I said them. But more than standing by my friend, this was a chance for me to do something. Because things were very, very wrong. It wasn't just the 'reality breaches' these guys talked about. For in that moment I was in contact with the breach, the Heart told me something else was wrong. Something I can fix. So I had to go.

"Good to have you with us! So what's your special power?"

"Um, I can fly. And there's the whole portal thing, although it's not quite working the best right now."

"Uh, yeah! Well, that's good too!"

"How do we close this portal, sorry, reality breach, anyway?"

"Oh, it'll close by itself eventually. Then we'll be on to the next world."

"Oh."

"But until then we'll have to guard against anything else happening!"

"I see! So I'll just contact our friends and tell them what's going on."

I reached for my phone, but Duke stopped me.

"You don't want to do that, ma'am."

"What? Why not?"

"Because if you tell them, they'll want to come, too. Correct?"

"Maybe, probably, yes. So?"

"So that would be a bad idea. Very bad!"

It was Stellar who answered that time.

"I don't..."

Duke continued.

"This world, your world, exists because of you and your friends, yes?"

"I, I guess so. Yes, okay, it does. But what does that have to do with..."

"So what do you think will happen if you and all your friends leave it? I mean totally leave it. Not just 'visit another realm' or whatever you do here?"

"Y-you don't mean..!"

"Yes. I'm afraid so. Your world will be alright if one or two of you go, but if all of you do? It'll...lose cohesion."

"It'll cease to exist. All of it!"

Her again. Stellar. Why?

"Listen to Stellar. She knows all about it. Because it happened to her."

"She...lost her whole world?"

Then Stellar, who had seemed so hard-edged before, softened. Almost like she suddenly became another person. Just as quickly, though, that girl left, and the hardened girl returned. Then she turned away.

"So in order to save my world, I have to leave it and everyone I know, or it, and they, could be wiped out of existence?"

"Yeah. That's about the size of it."

I'm Will. The guardian of the heart. And right now, it's all I can do to keep that heart from breaking.

_Next: Cornelia's Story!_

_(Cornelia changes more than her outfit!)_

_The fate of Meridian!_

_(Get ready for a real shocker!)_

_More on the Real Deal Crew!_

_More humor! More tragedy!_

_And...Batman and the Joker? Working together?_

_It happens...when toons get real!_

_Miss it not, toon fans!_

Notes

I'm not an expert on all of these characters, so if I get anything wrong, let me know. (But don't be nitpicky)

The W.I.T.C.H. girls are based on Season 1 of the W.I.T.C.H. cartoon.

This story is NOT 'Alternate Universe'. These are the characters from the TV shows. They've just learned they're not real, so it's more of a 'What If'.

Each chapter will be narrated by a different character. So we'll find out who all of these people are and what happened to them. Some have gone through big changes. Some not so much. But all will be explained.

Dustin the Ninja Storm Yellow Power Ranger is in Real Toons because Power Rangers airs on Toon Disney and it always seemed like a live action cartoon to me. He's also the comic relief, even though he rejects that and tries to make his own destiny.

Dustin is 'live action'. That's why Will says he's strange-looking.

Other toons will join the current cast as the Real Deal Crew is on a 'recruitment drive' (they're not the only ones with a grudge against the 'real world'). So look for appearances by the Teen Titans, Kim Possible and many more! But who will join the team?

Plus even more surprises! (Not all of the Crew are as they seem)

Action, drama, guest stars galore and the meaning of life - this has got it all!

Hay Lin was the most liked, most innocent of the girls, which made her target number one, unfortunately. It packs the biggest dramatic punch.

Her power (air) and Irma's (water) were the weakest, so they weren't considered for the Real Deal Crew.

Taranee just didn't have the emotional range I was looking for. And her power (fire) didn't have much potential, Human Torch notwithstanding.

But Cornelia? Power of the earth AND emotionally unstable? I'm there! Plus, she's a blonde.

I also noticed everyone else's power (air, water, fire) comes out of their hands, but Cornelia affects the world around her. That makes her the most powerful.

Will's the emotional anchor, the one everyone relates to. So she had to be in it. We'll experience the story through her.

What you need to know about W.I.T.C.H.

The first two chapters of Real Toons are based on Season One of W.I.T.C.H., an episodic, action/adventure cartoon about five girls with special powers.

W.I.T.C.H. are not real witches. Rather, they're five girls (Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia and Hay Lin) who possess the powers of energy, water, fire, earth and air, respectively.

Will, their leader, uses a jewel, the heart of Candracar, to transform the girls, open & close portals to another dimension, create 'astral drops' (duplicates of the girls) and perform other magical acts.

Their enemy in Season One was Prince Phobos of Meridian, who sent various monsters and adversaries after the girls, but who was ultimately defeated by the W.I.T.C.H. girls and his sister, Princess Elyon, who grew up on Earth and was a lifelong friend of Cornelia's.

Martin is the nerdy boy whose constant attempts to win the affections of Irma usually result in humorous rejection. He and the trollish creature of Meridian, Blunk, are the comic relief.

The girls have some stereotypical qualities, but on the whole are far less stereotypical than most cartoons. The creators of the show tried to make them more like real girls than cartoon girls.

In Season One, Hay Lin received visions of the future.

At the end of Season One, Cornelia had a budding romance with the rebel leader, Caleb.


	2. Chapter 2 Cornelia's Story

Character/story development at the beginning. Action when they get to Meridian. And more! Enjoy!

Real Toons

Chapter 2 - Cornelia's Story

by Shawn Q. Evans

Starring Cornelia & Will from W.I.T.C.H.

Guest starring Duke and Snake Eyes from G.I.Joe,

Dustin the Ninja Storm Yellow Power Ranger,

Stella from Winx Club, Danny Phantom, Batman & The Joker

W.I.T.C.H. and related characters copyright Disney Enterprises

Duke and Snake Eyes copyright Hasbro

Dustin the Ninja Storm Yellow Ranger copyright BVS Entertainment

Stella from Winx Club copyright Rainbow Srl

Danny Phantom copyright Nickelodeon

Batman and The Joker copyright DC Comics

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I'm Cornelia, the Guardian of the Earth. And I love my friend and teammate, Will. Really. But sometimes, she just doesn't get it.

"But Cornelia, I can always magic up a new dress and wings for you! You don't have to take this stuff they're offering!

"Will, did you not hear? It's a Stella McCartney original!"

I may not be a fairy princess. I may NEVER be a fairy princess. But that's no excuse for not looking as good as one!

"That's another thing. Why does the leader of this group have expensive designer fashions lying around?"

"Hello, Will! You told me this Batguy is supposed to be rich!"

"Batman."

"Whatever."

But I'm getting ahead of myself. When we joined this 'Real Deal Crew' (Ugh! We're definitely going to see about a name change!), we had yet to meet the leader.

When we did, I was surprised to discover Will already knew him. Somehow.

"You? But you're-you're…Batman?"

"Correct."

"I know who you are, even though I've never seen or heard of you before! How is that possible?"

"Mr. B has that effect on a lot of people! We figure it's 'cause he's been around so long and in different ways."

"And also because we suspect his creator is dead, freeing him to act."

That was Stellar. Tres' creepy.

"Hold on! Who's Batman?"

"A, a rich guy who puts on a batsuit and fights crime."

"Really? Well, I suppose everyone needs a hobby!"

"Ahem. Well, ladies. Do you need anything? Food, drink, change of clothes?"

"Some food would be nice. I can always get new clothes."

"Uh, yeah. Me too. But if we were to get new clothes, it wouldn't be her, Stellar's, hand-me-downs, would it?"

"No, of course not."

"Cornelia, what?"

"Just asking, Will! No harm in that! Besides, this dress is getting a bit...worn."

I said, as I ran my fingers over my torn and tattered dress.

"Clothes are provided for all members of the Crew."

"That's very nice, sir, but we don't need any."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"They're Stella McCartney originals."

"Oh! Lemme see! Lemme see!"

"Made of Kevlar and micro mesh nylon with a Gore-Tex outer shell, so it's durable yet lightweight. Impact resisitant. Insulated."

"See, Will? Practical, too! Does it come in any color besides black?"

"But, Cornelia! There's no space for your wings. How will you fly?"

"She doesn't need them. She should be able to move by using her power to levitate earth."

"Really?"

And that's where we came in.

"If you're interested in learning more about your power, I could train you."

"Seriously? Thanks!"

"For now, though, if you wish to eat you should see Mr. Kerr in the galley."

"Okay. Thank you."

"Isn't he the nicest? Not exactly how I picture a 'Batman' acting, huh, Will?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm not sure training with him is the best idea, though."

"Oh, listen to you! These people have been nothing but good to us - heck, they saved our lives! - yet you're going to run them down? Why, because you're not in charge?"

"No, that's not why! I just have some concerns, that's all. And things are changing way too fast"

"Things _have_ changed, Will. The sooner you realize that, the better."

"I know that. But...do we have to change, too?"

"No. We'll always be friends."

"I hope so. And then there's that whole breach thing. There was something wrong there. There's something wrong with all of this!"

"Hmph! Like I was wrong about Elyon?"

"Cornelia, that's not fair! Look, let's just get a bite to eat. We can discuss this later."

"Fine."

As we walked through the ship, we passed the others' rooms. I couldn't resist peeking in.

Duke cleaning his gun.

That other one, Snake Eyes, meditating.

Dustin practicing some karate moves. Looking a bit silly.

Danny the ghost boy, he, well, I couldn't tell, really. It was hard to even see him. He kind of faded in and out, reappearing here and there in his room.

And then Stellar, the big tough girl. Wait...was she crying?

"How much longer? Sniff How much longer do I..."

"The poor girl. She's been through so much."

"What? Oh! I, I wasn't staring! I just..."

"That's okay. I understand. I'm Mr. Kerr. But you can call me Joe."

"Joe...Kerr? Jo-ker? Oh my gosh! You're the Joker!"

"Yes. Once upon a time, I was."

"Who?"

"A villain, Corny! A bad, bad villain."

"It wasn't my fault. THEY needed a villain. So that's what I became. They hurt so many of us. Thanks to Batman, though, I've gotten beyond all that."

"What happened?"

"Batman found medication on another world to control my condition. Medications that were routinely denied me by my so-called 'creators!' That, and cosmetic surgery, fixed me up. So this whole 'reality breach' business has actually been a boon to me. Though a nightmare for so many of you. I'm sorry. If you want me to leave, or another server, I'll understand."

"Oh! No, Joe! That's fine! You can stay! Right, Cornelia?"

"Sure!"

"Oh, thank you! Just one more thing?"

"Yes?"

"Mango cherry smoothies, anyone?"

We didn't say much after that, as we ate the meal cooked up by our strange, new companion. A former villain. Imagine that.

"See, Will! Helping an enemy. And he can help us!"

"I suppose so. I hope so. We'll see."

Later, I tried on the new outfit.

"What do you think, Will? Batman even had it lined with cotton after I told him synthetic fibers make me itch."

"That's great, Corny. It's definitely you!"

"What? I kept the teal and purple color scheme!"

"Kind of a dark teal and purple, don't you think?"

"Pff! Let's get another opinion! Oh, Stellar! What do you think of my new costume?"

"I used to care about things like that."

"Somehow, I find that hard to believe. Oh, uh, ghost boy! Danny! Looking good, huh?"

"Yeah. Whatever. It doesn't matter. Nothing does anymore."

"Geez! Depressed much?"

"Cornelia, we get it! It's fabulous!"

"Hey, I like it!"

"You would, Dustin."

"Actually, we have a lot in common! I have earth powers, too!"

"Really?"

"Oh yeah! Let's go outside and I'll show you!"

"Whatever."

Then he disappeared, ran under the earth somehow, and shot out of it in a cloud of dust.

"Great. So you can make like a gopher and shoot dust at people!"

"Well, yeah. Why, you think you can top that?"

So I placed my hand on the ground, cut off a huge chunk of earth, floated it over his head...

"Um, you got that, right? It's not gonna fall or anything?"

...and sent it flying into space.

"Whew! Okay, that totally rocks! You win!"

"That was nothing! You should see her split mountains with a wave of her hand!"

"Seriously? Whoa!"

"Okay, people, floorshow's over! The breach is gone from this world, but we're still getting faint readings! We need to check it out!"

"You're still...oh no! Meridian! The Lurdens had to have come from there! They must have had a breach, too!"

"Excuse me, what?"

"Meridian's a world on the other side of the veil!"

"And some of our friends are there!"

"You know how to get there?"

"Yes."

"Duke, you and the rest stay here. I'll take the ladies over to this Meridian and analyze the situation."

"But, sir..!"

"This world is still the epicenter of any breach activity. It needs you to protect it. They'll be my guides. We'll be fine. I'll call you if I need you."

"Sir, yes sir."

"Before we go, though, I, I don't want our friends and family to worry. Spord Lartsa!"

So Will used the pink jewel she carries around with her, the Heart of Candracar, to create two astral drops to take our place. And mine almost looks as good as me.

"But, Will, what if someone says, you know?"

Because they'll disappear if someone says 'astral drop'.

"I, uh, command you to turn your hearing off for three seconds if anyone says 'as-'. Now go!"

"Come on. Let's go to Meridian."

"Will, you sound so...final. Like we may not be back."

"Don't know what we'll find, Cornelia."

"Don't say that! I...you're right. Let's go."

So Will magiced up a portal.

"Your pendant does that, too? Interesting."

"Oh yeah! It's tons of fun at parties."

We arrived in Meridian...in the mountains?

"Uh, Will, why aren't we at the castle? Or at least in town?"

"I don't know. The Heart must have sent us here for a reason."

"Well, at least my 'earth shoes' work, just as Mr. Batman said!"

I said, pointing to the ground under my feet that propelled me through the air.

"Uh huh."

"Not the most stylish, but, hey, Will, check it out! An 'earth skating' spiral!"

As I sailed through the air I balanced on one foot, mimicking ice skating moves. I am a champion figure skater, you know!

"That's great, Corny...look out! Scuttlers!"

"Whoaaa!"

I spun to avoid the giant roaches! Except, in veering away from the big icks on my right, I lost my balance and was about to run smack into the ones on my left! (I'm not yet an expert at the whole riding-levitated-rock thing. Especially when huge, nasty bugs are running straight at me!). Will, thank God, used portal energy somehow to push the scuttlers back and away from me! Then she flew up. Batman, meanwhile, jumped on the back of one, flipped, landed on another, and repeated, all the way through the pass.

"Batman! Grab my hand!"

Said Will. As hundreds of the things ran through the mountain pass.

"What are they running from?"

"Them! Mudslugs!"

Will pointed ahead at the mudslugs coming out of the ground and grabbing scuttlers.

"Why would these 'scuttlers' be afraid of mudslugs?"

Asked Batman as Will flew him over the icky scuttlers and slugs.

"They're not afraid of the mudslugs! They're afraid of that!"

Ugh! Super ick! It was Mama Mudslug. That huge, disgusting creature I thought we saw the last of.

Her tentacles were everywhere! Grabbing at us! Have to dodge and...

"Close the pass."

"Huh?"

"Bring the mountain together."

Oh. Right.

"I would have figured it out, y'know, Mr. Smartypants!"

"Of course."

With a gesture from me (and plenty of intense concentration!), the two sides of the mountain pass fell towards each other in a great roar of sound and dust. When the dust settled, all that was left was one huge pile of rock, the avalanche burying all of the mudslugs and scuttlers, including Big Mama. But I was almost totally wiped out. And we still had no idea what we'd find in town.

No one. That's what we found. No people. The town was abandoned. Oh, there were a few larvex and some other creepy-crawlies feeding on _something_ (we didn't want to get close enough to find out), but none of the people of Meridian were there. And then we heard a familiar voice.

"Ah! Blunk not know where portal is!"

"You'll tell me how to get off this doomed world, or..."

"Hands off our friend, Tracker!"

The Tracker whipped his chain at us.

Will and I avoided it, but Batman grabbed it and yanked the Tracker to the ground. But then the Tracker's dog attacked Batman!

I tried to restrain the Tracker and his dog with vines, but he was too strong! He was about to break free when Batman said...

"Why use a mountain when a molehill will do?"

"What? I so not understand!"

"He's a tracker. So he uses his senses to fight, correct?"

"Yesss, so..?"

"So make him blind and deaf."

I got it. I think. So I put dust and dirt all over his eyes and ears. He's unable see or hear us. But now what?

"Why do you hang back so much?"

"What? This is no time for a debate!"

"Get in there, wrap your fists in stone, and take him down!"

Oh. I see. We, uh, always let Caleb do that stuff. Before.

"Okay."

"What? Cornelia, are you crazy? You can't..."

"First time for everything, Will!"

I did as Batman said. I walked up to the Tracker (when every instinct said to run!). Evading his clumsy attempts at defense, I formed a big stony fist, wound up, and...

_KA-POW!_

The Tracker staggered backwards. So I hit him again and again with my rocky hands until the Tracker went down - hard!

Whoa. Talk about intense!

"Cornelia, I, I'm sorry. For doubting you."

"That's okay, Will."

I could tell she was really upset about something else.

"Things may have changed. But we're not going to!"

"Promise?"

"Sure!"

"Excuse me. But why is your 'friend' running off?"

Said Batman, holding Blunk as far from his nose as he could.

"Not Blunk's fault! She said to send Lurdens through portal!"

"What? Blunk, what did you do?"

"You miserable troll! You did that to us? To Heatherfield?"

"Blunk not troll! Blunk passling!"

"Hands off the passling! He's under my protection!"

It was Elyon! An image of her, anyway.

"Elyon, what, what happened?"

"As if you don't know!"

"We, we know some strange things have happened, and..."

"Don't bother! I was at that weird portal! I know what's going on! What you are! What we all are!"

"I, I'm sorry, Elyon! We didn't know! We never meant for anything bad to happen!"

"What happened here, Elyon?"

"It started in the jails, first. The Lurdens acted up. Killing guards. And we didn't have a defense. Then it spread. I tried to stop it at the source, but when I approached it...I learned everything. Then it was all I could do to keep Phobos and Cedric and most of the others imprisoned. It was chaos!"

"But...you were powerful! Why couldn't you fight them?"

"That's not what I was designed for, was it?"

"Huh? But..?"

"Whose 'job' was it to fight the monsters?"

"Oh. It was ours."

"And you weren't here! So, to save my people, I told Blunk to send the Lurdens to the only ones who could stop them!"

"Elyon, what, what about Caleb?"

"He...he was among the first to go."

"Oh! I'm sorry, Cornelia!"

"It's okay, Will. We, we should have been here - sniff"

"Yes. You should have."

"But what - sniff - what about you and the people of Meridian, Elyon? Where'd you all go?"

"Someplace safe. Now please leave."

"But-"

"Haven't you done enough?"

And with that, Elyon disappeared.

"Let's go, Cornelia."

"I don't - I don't want to leave things like this, Will. At least let me see if they're safe. Let me say goodbye."

"Okay. Sure."

Then Batman shot me such a look. But I couldn't think about that.

I wandered around the empty castle, searching. But there was no one there. It was just me and the paintings on the walls.

The paintings!

One had a tremendous crowd scene. And I thought I heard something. I leaned in for a closer look, and...

"Why are you still here?"

Another image of Elyon.

"I wanted to make sure you were safe! Elyon, a painting? How is that..."

"Not just the painting! See that over there? It's a Millennium Bloom. If anyone approaches with evil thoughts, it blooms and puts them to sleep. So we're protected!"

"That's it? That's your big plan?"

"As if you could do better? Cornelia, please go. I have to watch over my people, and I can't do this with you anymore! All these games! I can't..!"

"Elyon, I...I'm sorry."

"What do you mean? What are you doing with the Bloom?"

"Shhhh. Go to sleep."

"Cornelia...n..."

Said Elyon, as her image faded away.

"Sleep. All of you. Sleep."

I activated the Bloom and covered my nose. Then I gently put the painting on the castle's stone floor. Upon my command, the floor rose up, engulfed the painting, then reversed course and became a floor again, entombing the painting below it.

As I left the castle, Will greeted me. I felt sick to my stomach, but I had to put up a brave front.

"How'd it go? Things okay?"

"They're fine. Now. But there's nothing here for us anymore, Will. Let's get out of here. Okay?"

"Sure, Corny. No prob."

I'm Cornelia, the guardian of everything under our feet. I love my friend, Will. Really I do. But there's some things she just doesn't understand. That she'll _never_ understand.

I did what I had to do. The only thing I could do to protect the ones I love. But she can never know. Never. Not what I did. Or what I plan to do.

Because I live in the real world now. And the real world has no place for fairy princesses.

Luckily, there's one who does understand.

Batman.

"Again!'

"Errrr Ut!"

I gasped, on the training course, as I exerted myself to fire hundreds of small, sharp earthen projectiles at a target, obliterating it.

"And again! Faster!"

Commanded Batman.

Soon there were no targets left.

_Holy socks! Did I read that right? Did Cornelia 'mercy kill' Elyon and the people of Meridian?_

_Oh man! Hope Will doesn't find out!_

_Next:_

_In the Teen Titans Go! area: Robin's Story!_

_(If you're a fan, you'll probably hate what I do with Robin._

_Or maybe not.)_

_Cornelia meets Beast Boy!_

_Batman encounters Raven!_

_Plus: The first appearance of...The Others!_

_(The other group of Toons, with their own agenda!)_

_Miss it not, toon fans!_

Notes

Dustin has ninja powers, but not Power Ranger powers. Just like the last time he was seen, in Thunder Storm.

Will does have some offensive capabilities. In Episode 21, Escape From Cavigor, she uses the Heart's portal energy to push the scuttlers away from her. Since Will can open and close portals anywhere, and a closed portal is like a barrier, she must be able to move the portal energy around and use it as a physical battering ram. Will has other powers, such as broadcasting over a radio transmitter, making image duplicates of the Heart and finding people. I also think there's evidence Will uses the anti-gravity effects of her wings to lift heavy objects (super-strength), since she does carry some people, holds half a table and pushes a bookcase over.

Cornelia 'danced' on a wooden table she animated (in Episode 3, I believe). Also, Caleb rode one of her flying rocks. And there's other moments when she or the Guardians stand on earth she pulls out of the ground. So she could use earth objects (ground, stone, wood, etc.) to levitate/float/travel rather easily, if she wanted to.

Blunk is a passling, which means he can find portals between Meridian and Earth.

I didn't realize when I wrote the story that the Tracker's cloak can produce hordes of mutant bats. If he did, though, Batman would have just disabled the bats with a sonic whistle only they could hear.

I don't recall any sort of flower that made people fall asleep in W.I.T.C.H., so I made up the Millennium Bloom. Both Elyon and Cornelia had powers over plants, so it fit. And Elyon would take a more humane approach to defeating her enemies, since she was a princess and not a warrior. The whole 'falling asleep' thing is very fairytaleish, so it's appropriate.

Mythic allusions abound. Cornelia loses her wings in Chapter 1 (like a fallen angel). Then she describes herself as the guardian of 'everything under our feet' in Chapter 2. The earth is under our feet, but so is the underworld. She also 'buries' her friend. In addition, she levitates by riding pieces of earth that float in the air. So her feet never touch the ground. It was said that witches' feet never touch the ground because they were rejected by God (although I'm not sure if this is a true, ancient witches' tale or was inspired by the more recent Blair Witch Project. But that could have been a version of the 'dunk test ' that says witches float in water because water is sacred and rejects them - and Cornelia can't swim). Also, the Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz used flowers to put Dorothy & Co. to sleep. So is Cornelia becoming a real witch, and creature of the underworld? Hmmm.

It's obvious Batman took only Will and Cornelia to Meridian because he wanted to assess their powers. But what else is he after? He pushes Cornelia to use her powers in new and different ways, and even lets her 'have her first kill' (although she doesn't kill anyone. She only knocks the Tracker out. But it's a big change in the way Cornelia handles herself on the battlefield). He's initiating her, preparing her for...what? Will knows something is going on. She sees Cornelia change before her eyes. But what can she do about it?


End file.
